The Podcasts

Isabelle Caro, a French actress and model whose emaciated image appeared in a shock Italian ad campaign and whose anorexia and career were followed by others suffering from eating disorders, has died at the age of 28.

Her longtime acting instructor, Daniele Dubreuil-Prevot, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Caro died on Nov. 17 after returning to France from a job in Tokyo.

Dubreuil-Prevot said she did not know the cause of death but that Caro "had been sick for a long time," referring to her anorexia.

Caro was featured in an ad campaign by Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani in 2007 for an Italian fashion house. Under the headline "No Anorexia," images across newspapers and billboards showed Caro naked, vertebrae and facial bones protruding.

In later interviews, she said she weighed about 27 kilograms, or 59 pounds, when the photos were taken.

Caro said on her blog and in interviews that she had suffered from anorexia since she was 13. She wrote a book published in France in 2008 titled "The Little Girl Who Didn't Want to Get Fat."

The Italian ad campaign came as the fashion industry came under an unusually bright spotlight about anorexia, after a 21-year-old Brazilian model died from the eating disorder. Her agent, Sylvie Fabregon, told AP that it was intended "to show what it is like to be anorexic."

Some groups working with anorexics warned, however, that it did a disservice to those afflicted with the disorder.

Images of Caro appeared on so-called pro-ana, or pro-anorexia websites. On Wednesday, one posted a notice about her death and a photo of her, large blue-green eyes peering over a child-size upper arm, with the caption, "die young, stay pretty."

Her life and death drew other kinds of followers, as well.

Swiss singer Vincent Bigler and Caro had been working on a video for a song he wrote about anorexia called "J'ai fin," a wordplay in French that means roughly "I am the end" but is pronounced identically to "I am hungry."

Bigler said he penned the song after being so moved and worried by seeing Caro on television, and meant the lyrics to focus on hope and healing.

Caro "left me with many images, and much hope," he said by telephone, describing her different moods and ideas as they worked on the project together.

Caro herself spoke out about her anorexia and her efforts to recover, and the menace of eating disorders on the fashion industry.

Her acting instructor described years in and out of hospitals. Her death and her illness "are an absolute waste," Dubreuil-Prevot said.

Caro's Facebook page says she was born Sept. 12, 1982. She took violin lessons and then acting lessons in Nantes and Versailles, according to Dubreuil-Prevot.

The Italian ad campaign gained Caro widespread attention in media in countries around Europe and in the United States. She subsequently served as a member of the jury on Top Model France, and worked periodically as a film and television actress.

Caro's father alerted a few close friends at the time of her death, and a funeral service was held in Paris, according to Dubreuil-Prevot. Her family could not be reached for comment Wednesday. In one online video, Caro ends with words of advice for aspiring models: "Believe in life."

Being united in one thing, staying united is another issue. But, we all need to be united, not just one race or one culture, but as a human race made up of Black, White, Yellow, Red, Mixed, African, Asian, UK, US, India, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Adult, Child, Gay and Straight. We are all ONE Family, if you like it or not. So, why put down your brother or sister, mother or father? My kill your own brother or sister, mother or father? Why hate your own brother or sister, mother or father?

So let us all be Ruby Bridges for a day and united the human race with a step in the right direction.

Truth: While the clitoris IS crucial to most women's arousal and orgasm, every woman has different preferences regarding its stimulation. It's not a doorbell, and you can't just push it to be let inside! (Fun clitoral fact: The clitoris is not just that little organ you can find at the top of a woman's vulva -- it extends into her body like a wishbone, with legs at least 2 inches long, and all of it can be erotically sensitive because it becomes engorged and erect when aroused).

2. Myth: There's no such thing as a G-spot.

Truth: The Grafenberg Spot (named after Dr. Ernst Grafenberg) does exist, and it is comparable to a man's prostate. It's glandular tissue that surrounds the urethra and in some percentage of women it is indeed sexually sensitive, especially to pressure.

3. Myth: Every woman has a G-spot and should find it, or she won't have optimal sex.

Truth: The truth is while every woman does indeed have a G-spot, not every woman loves G-spot stimulation. For some, it's “Wow!;” for others, “Ehh;” and for still others it can actively feel irritating -- not a sensation to pursue for long, much less add to your repertoire. Plus, if she's not turned on when you get started, it's not likely to feel sexy.

4. Myth: Nipple stimulation is a must for getting a woman aroused

Truth: Some women LOVE nipple stroking, licking and sucking, and some can even orgasm this way. But other women really don't care for it at all, especially when you twist them like radio dials. You're not trying to get a signal from outer space, you know!

5. Myth: Women who don't reach orgasm during sex just have partners who don't last long enough

Truth: More than half of women (some studies say way more than half) don't orgasm during intercourse. In fact, more important than duration of intercourse for many women may be how aroused she was when it began -- which means all the sexy stuff that comes before intercourse may be the most important element. If you're going to worry about time, remember that minutes (or hours) spent on that kind of pleasuring is time well-spent.

6. Myth: There are secrets you can learn that will let you please ANY woman

Truth: While sexual secrets may well be worth learning, the only secrets that really matter tonight are the ones that matter to the woman you're with right now. Learn those preferences and responses and she'll consider you a great lover -- the tricks that worked on your ex (or that you spent money to learn in a Get More Girls seminar) may not be the things that float her boat, since women are individuals erotically as well as in other ways!

7. Myth: Pheromones are the key to her arousal

Truth: The nose knows, eh? While appreciating a partner's pheromonal signature (which you can't just sniff like cologne) may be a key element of attraction, that doesn't mean you can slap on some of that special after shave you got because you were reading the spam e-mails promising you success in bed. Those are often made of pig pheromones anyway, and you'd HATE it if she left you for Porky.

8. Myth: You’d be able to tell if she faked it for sure.

Truth: A recent study revealed that men thought their female partners orgasmed about 20 percent more often than they actually did. Apparently it’s common for a woman to fake her orgasm, and the very best way to know if it's happening is to talk to her intimately to make sure you know what truly works for her -- and then do those things! She won't even think about faking orgasm if she's having an orgasm.